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Music of Tangerine Dream

Posted: Tue Oct 31, 2017 11:32 pm
by Fretless
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When Edgar Froese passed away in 2015 I thought that it was the end of Tangerine Dream. Finito. Over and out. Not so, the continuance of the band name had been planned and prepared for with long-term sideman Thorsten Quaeschning, solo EM star Ulrich Schnauss and Japanese violinist Hoshiko Yamane. Their releases so far under the TD banner have been a revelation - proving that the style and innovation that the band was originally known for still lives on, with renewed power and passion.

The 'classic' phase of TD's output is based on their first 20 albums from 'Electronic Meditiation' (1970) up to the end of their Virgin contract with 'Hyperborea' (1983). Since then there have been more that 100 releases under the Tangerine Dream name and this abundance of music is both bewildering and discouraging, For a while I helped out on an EM fanzine and every issue carried reviews of the latest couple of TD discs, which were usually met with 'On no - not again' noises. Not very encouraging.

A large proportion of this later work is soundtrack albums which sometimes recycled material from studio albums (and sometimes not), a serious number of live albums (TD were always known for putting on a good show with excellent live musicians) and Edgar appeared to be VERY fond of compilation/remix albums of which there are plenty.

So, I have decided to drop my preconceptions (anything after Christopher Franke left is crap!) and begin to explore the jungle of music that TD have produced. There must be some good stuff in there somewhere! I now look back at Edgar and wonder what he was really interested in doing after the band became, effectively, a solo vehicle for his talent.

Now I'm hoping that fellow TD afficionado's out there in forum-land will be able to help in highlighting the hidden gems that really should be heard AND exposing the shallow clunkers that had better been left lying in the studio cupboard. It could be a long hard trawl but it might well be worth it.

Time to start ...

Re: Music of Tangerine Dream

Posted: Tue Oct 31, 2017 11:38 pm
by Fretless
Let's get the ball rolling with a soundtrack:

What a Blast (Architecture in Motion)

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Film: What a Blast: Architecture in Motion (1999)

Actually the film is quite fun - a series of buildings being demolished with explosives where TD's music provides a perfect score; rhythmic, industrial and haunting. The music was made by Edgar and son Jerome and as an album it is pleasant enough. Good background music but lacking any really strong tunes or dynamics.

Okay but not great.

Re: Music of Tangerine Dream

Posted: Wed Nov 01, 2017 9:32 am
by antonio66
Looking forward to your findings Fretless.

Re: Music of Tangerine Dream

Posted: Wed Nov 01, 2017 10:24 am
by Fretless
Well I ordered a stack of TD discs from Dodax (ridiculously cheap) and they are now trickling in. Trying to avoid the obvious compilations but having a bit of obsessive/compulsive collector-fever at the moment.

A surprising gem might be found in the album 'Mota Atma'

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Youtube: Tangerine Dream Mota Atma - full album

A soundtrack album for a Japanese film that either never got made or released. Here we have a solo work from Edgar (as far as I can tell) and it is really interesting. Feels as if he is going back to the style of 'Pinnacles' as it is subtle and mysterious. Long(ish) tracks that carry you along in pleasant clouds of rhythm and melody.

Recommended for late-evening relaxation. :grin:

Re: Music of Tangerine Dream

Posted: Wed Nov 01, 2017 3:23 pm
by Colin Wonfor
Many years since I have heard that name, I was drag to see one of there concert at the Kursaal Southend about 1972 ish

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All I recall is the EXIT sign falling of the wall and my ears bleeding from the sound pressure.

Re: Music of Tangerine Dream

Posted: Thu Nov 02, 2017 8:57 am
by Fretless
Took a bit of digging around to spot that concert, Colin. It was on the 23rd of November 1974. At that time Tangerine Dream used no sound engineer to check sound levels for the audience - they ran the mixing desks themselves, directly from the stage and had a reputation for being incredibly loud!

Here's another odd CD.

TD Plays TD

Tangerine Dream 2006 Plays Tangerine Dream Full Album

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"This is an 'approach with caution' item", I thought. Expecting lame re-hashes of the hits I popped it into the player for a listen, well, what do you know? - it is actually quite intriguing.

Edgar invited past and present members of TD to 're-invent' some of the old numbers and give them a new perspective. So this is a collection of solo tracks based on works from Tangerine Dream's past. Paul Haslinger and Johannes Schmoelling are among the guests and it is an entertaining listen. The different approaches make for a varied collection that provides over an hour of enjoyable, quality EM.

Worth a listen. :grin:

Re: Music of Tangerine Dream

Posted: Fri Nov 10, 2017 12:24 pm
by Fretless
In between discovering a whole new area of good music I have run across an album which has 'Avoid At All Costs' plastered over it and it's called 'Ambient Monkeys'.

Tangerine Dream. Ambient Monkeys. (excerpt)

TD in full-on floaty, New Age mode with jungle noises.
Not Recommended. :snooty:

Re: Music of Tangerine Dream

Posted: Sun Dec 10, 2017 11:36 pm
by Fretless
The last 2 months have been a process of total immersion in the huge body of work that Edgar and cohorts have produced through the years - it looks like TD have averaged about 10 releases a year, certainly during the 2000's. There are many musical phases and themed sets of albums to be found and it takes a while to make sense of it all.

Primarily the different phases are defined by the working partnerships that Froese sr. has participated in - and then most notably with his son, Jerome, who brought a young, modern dance/rock influence into the mix that caused a major shift in direction during his 16 years in the band. Most audibly with extensive use of electric guitar as the lead instrument and a series of dance remix albums that he did as 'TDJ Rome'.

Before this period were the 'Melrose Years' where Edgar worked with Paul Haslinger, this era was marked by a shift from long-form pieces to shorter, sharper compositions with more commercial impact. A stand-out album from this collaboration is a double live set called 'Rockface'.

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Youtube: Miracle Mile - After the Call (Live version)

This album is a sound-board recording of a complete concert from the 1988 US tour where Edgar and Haslinger were joined by short-term member Ralph Wadephul. It is a pity that this line-up didn't last longer but Wadephul left due to family commitments. The music here is tight and dynamic with buckets of energy. Been playing this one a lot and it's great in the car!

Also at this point I'd like to mention the Esoteric label's remastered editions of some key TD works. The refresh treatment has brought a new sparkle to some of the older albums and they are so much the better for it. 'Livemiles' was never a favourite - it sounded dull and lifeless when first issued but the new version has me really sitting up and enjoying it. The same can be said for 'Pergamon', 'Green Desert' and 'Sorcerer'. Also the mighty 'Poland' just flies through the stratosfear (!) in this new version and as for 'Underwater Sunlight'... well I used to take this along when I was demoing gear in hifi shops and it's tsunami-effect of earthquake synths and thundering guitars had people asking me what the hell this music was! Anyway the Esoteric version is a quantum leap in SQ over the original disc.

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Youtube: Tangerine Dream - Underwater Sunlight

That enough TD-um for now, next instalment - the Jerome effect. :guiness;

Re: Music of Tangerine Dream

Posted: Mon Dec 11, 2017 11:23 am
by _D_S_J_R_
I hated the Jerome years, but love his own solo work which I feel is many steps up in musical quality.

I look forward to your views on albums that should re-educate my views (I'm genuinely not being sarcastic) about the Jerome era. TeeDee have been a huge part of my musical life but I must admit I 'got off the tour bus' some time ago and little except Mala Kunia has caused to me to hop back on, if only for one disc, not even Madcaps Flaming Duty...

Re: Music of Tangerine Dream

Posted: Mon Dec 11, 2017 12:41 pm
by antonio66
Have got Rockface on my watch list and purchased Underwater Sunlight a while back and seem to have misplaced the cd, but still have the case. :doh: